Spy Game (2002, VHS)

Ah-h, yes-s... there's nothing like a good old-fashioned spy thriller to get the old heart pumping. Back in those good old Cold War days of the 1950s through the early '80s, it seemed like there were plenty of spy movies around... films usually pitting the good guys (anyone stealing state secrets on behalf of the forces of Democracy and Freedom) against the bad guys (any one of the old Communist Bloc countries... especially the Soviet Union.) In the past few years it seems like there are fewer spy movies being made. Yes, there's the obligatory James Bond movie that comes out about one every...

Spy Game (2001) "If I'm walking into a $__+ storm I want to know which way the wind is blowing." Nathan Muir A lot of films have explored the idea of "how do you make your mark upon the world" - I mean; what does a person, professional to the core, do to make a difference once his career is no longer his sole concern? I can think of "Captain Nathan Brittles" - one of John Wayne's most memorable characters in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon or Richard Burton's most moving portrayal of "Alec Leamas" in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. These individuals made a choice, late in their careers to make a..

Okay, so Spy Game isn't as deep as The Spy That Came In From The Cold or as flashy and full of special effects as a James Bond spy thriller. It's still got better acting than 90% of all the spy thriller-chillers in the last 10 years, thanks to Redford. To quote Gene Shallott, "I could listen to Redford reading out of a telephone book." I'm not quite at that level, but I do like Redford's style, and he is so much better in this movie than most of his other recent roles that he is just flat Impressive with a capital "I". And so is Brad Pitt. Pitt, I think, was really switched on by playing a...

Mr Scott? The bedraggled man in the corner looks up from his hands, his eyes red with tears. His name is Tony and he is very troubled. He searches for the source of the voice, resting his gaze on the open doorway across the room, held so by the young, somewhat disinterested secretary. Mr Scott, Dr Mick will see you now Picking himself up, Tony trudges along the plush waiting room and straight into the adjacent office, daring not to look at the prying eyes of the other waiting patients. As the door closed behind him, Tony notices around the room a plethora of certificates lining the walls, a..